Juan de Jongh says the Stormers have a point to prove in their coastal derby rematch against the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Just days after a disappointing 30-19 loss in front of more than 52,000 fans at Cape Town Stadium, the Stormers are back facing familiar opposition, this time on Sharks turf. And De Jongh believes the rematch comes at exactly the right time for a response.
Despite the setback, the former Stormers and Springbok centre expects the Cape side to come out swinging.
“It won’t be easy for the Sharks this time. They came with massive hunger to topple the top team. The Stormers will fix things like their lineouts and scrums,” De Jongh told SportsBoom.co.za.
“I think this match will be decided in the final five minutes, and because of the context, I believe the Stormers will edge it. They’ll be hungry.”
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That hunger will be tested against a Sharks outfit enjoying a clear uptick in momentum since JP Pietersen took over as interim coach, following the departure of John Plumtree. The Durban-based side has climbed the URC log with a series of important wins, and De Jongh believes the shift is visible well beyond matchday.
“It’s brilliant to see JP stepping into this role,” he said. “He’s done his time with the academy, U19s and U21s. Players know him, and guys like Siya Kolisi have played alongside him at Springbok level. There’s a lot of respect.
“There’s clearly a fresh environment and renewed energy. You can see it even from the outside, the videos on YouTube and Instagram. Once you have the change room on your side, you can only move forward.
“What you don’t want is lose the change room as we’ve seen with the All Blacks and at the Bulls recently.”
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Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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